Absolutism: Russia
- Peter I (The Great): 1682-1725, Created the absolutist monarchy in Russia. Peter spent time in Western European countries and through this was able to bring cultural influences in architecture, art, and social aspects back to Russia.
- Peter moved the Russian capital to St. Petersburg after feeling pressure from soldiers in Moscow after the massacre of several of his family members and built the city up in the way of western societies.
- Peter was consumed with the need for a warm water port and as such joined in the North War with Sweden which eventually led to his creation of a new modernized army and got him access to the Black Sea.
- Peter also centralized the government and formed a bi-cameral legislature with local agents used throughout Russia to enforce laws. He also put in place serfdom and in exchange for public service of the nobility, he offered privilege and wealth.
- Peter took control of the Russian by simply not replacing the patriarch when he died in 1700.
- Catharine I (The Great): 1762-1796 although she wasn't in the book she's kind of important. The government Peter emplaced remained intact until Catharine's reign, when, in order to win back the allegiance of the Russian people after the Pugachew Rebellion, she decentralized the government by dividing Russia into provinces and surrendering absolute control in favor of locally run government. She made a failed attempt at separating power in the government, but her reigned essentially marked the end of absolutism in Russia.